Chapter 12: The Sorcerer of LINK VRAINS

In LINK VRAINS...

Raguel looked out over LINK VRAINS. Thanks to the efforts of SOL, the network was able to recover from Revolver's attack. There were many people dueling, some testing their skills against others in the hopes of becoming Charisma Duelists one day.

It had been at least four hours since he and Roxy visited Miyu at the Den City Hospital. Since the trip, he couldn't sleep, so he logged into LINK VRAINS to not only have some time for himself, but to make sure there wasn't anyone else that could threaten the network as well. He turned his head to the right and was surprised at who else was here.

"Yo. Playmaker." Raguel called out to him. When Playmaker turned his head to see who was speaking to him, he was surprised to see that Raguel was here as well.

"Raguel?" Playmaker asked as Raguel walked up to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I guess." Raguel replied, turning to face LINK VRAINS. "Couldn't sleep either?"

Playmaker sighed. "I guess not." Before he could continue, Ai emerged from Playmaker's Duel Disk. "It's been a while, Raguel! And good to see you too, Herald!"

As if on cue, Herald emerged from Raguel's Duel Disk. "Good to see you as well, Ai. We have a lot to catch up on, don't you agree?"

"Definitely!" Ai squealed, excited to be talking to another Ignis after so long. "What I want to know is: How did you survive?"

"You remember the guy you didn't listen to prior to the Hanoi's attack?" Herald asked him.

"Yeah?"

"He saved a bunch of Cyberse creatures, me, and another Ignis." Herald told Ai. He then crossed his arms. "If you all just listened to him-."

"Hey! We never expected someone to attack the Cyberse World! We had peaceful intentions!" Ai argued with Herald.

"Be quiet." Both Playmaker and Raguel silenced their Ignis's.

Before anyone could say anything else, the area suddenly grew dark.

"What the-?" Raguel said, turning his head and looking at the sky. "Is that-?"

"An eclipse." Playmaker answered him, narrowing his eyes at the sky.

"You know, back in ancient times, solar eclipses were super evil omens." Ai said. "They foreshadowed total destruction and the end of civilizations. So you got that going for you."

"They're just fables, Ai." Playmaker told him. "But perhaps, there is something to this. Someone may be sending the world a message."

"Like what? Wear sunscreen?" Ai sarcastically asked Playmaker.

"No, Ai. Not at all." Herald scolded him. "This solar eclipse could be a sign of what's to come."

"But what?" Raguel said.

"I believe that we'll find out soon enough." Playmaker deduced.

"Great. I hate waiting for surprises. Rip off the bandage and bring on the gloom and doom." Ai said.

Herald sighed as he facepalmed his head. "I wish you didn't say that, Ai."

Raguel couldn't help but agree with Herald. If the Hanoi are behind this, Raguel thought as he narrowed his eyes at the eclipse, then I have a feeling I'll encounter them again. He turned to Playmaker. No. The both of us will encounter the Hanoi again. That's for sure.

The next morning, at Café Matsuo...

Yuhiro had a lot on his mind as he ate the chocolate-chip pancakes Roxy made for him. Sure, they were delicious, but with so much stuff going on in Yuhiro's mind, he didn't feel like eating at the moment.

"Mission control to Yuhiro. You spacing out again?" Yuhiro lifted his head at Roxy saying his name. "You know, for a second there, I thought you were going to fall asleep."

"Sorry, Roxy." Yuhiro said, as he stretched his arms. "I guess I didn't get much sleep last night."

Roxy crossed her arms in response. "Considering you were in LINK VRAINS, that would make sense. Why were you even there in the first place?" She soon took a bite of her pancake.

"It's because Yuhiro needed some time to himself." Herald deduced. "Also, we saw something pretty interesting in-."

CRUNCH.

"As I was saying, we saw something pretty interesting in-."

CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

Herald, who was now annoyed, turned behind him to face Progleo. The cub was on the floor, eating chocolate-chip pancakes. "Would you mind?" Herald emphasized to the cub. "I was talking to Yuhiro and Roxy about what we saw yesterday in LINK VRAINS!"

Progleo snorted in response to what Herald said. "What? I'm hungry." And he continued munching down the chocolate-chip pancakes.

"Yuhiro, you usually enjoy my chocolate-chip pancakes." Roxy stated, with a worried look on her face. "Yet there's something on your mind, isn't there?"

Yuhiro sighed, knowing that there was no point in making a rebuttal against Roxy. He started cutting another piece of his pancake. "Yeah. I guess there is." Yuhiro took a deep breath before saying, "Something happened with Miyu last night."

At the mention of Miyu, Roxy narrowed her eyes, showing that she was paying attention. "Did something happen to her, last night?"

"Nothing bad." Yuhiro responded. "But something that will surprise you." He then told Roxy of what happened when he talked with Miyu, as well as just before he left.

"As I was getting up to leave, I felt Miyu squeeze my hand. Like this." Yuhiro squeezed his hands together, trying to recreate what happened. "I'm no doctor, Roxy, but she was somehow able to interact with a person after many years. It could be a sign that she's getting better."

In response to this information, Roxy dropped her fork on the plate, while Yuhiro took a bite of his pancake. Her jaw dropped as well.

"She interacted with you..." was all she could say. "Are you sure?"

After Yuhiro took a bite of his pancake, he nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

Roxy, who still forgot about her fork, continued to stare at him. "How? Was there anything else? Did she speak?"

"Unfortunately no." Yuhiro admitted, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Roxy. I wish that-."

"Don't apologize." Yuhiro's head perked up in response to Roxy's comment. "What happened last night, it's a sign. A sign that, somehow, we're getting through to her. And if we keep up the good work, she could wake up eventually." As Roxy picked up her fork and started cutting her pancakes, Yuhiro could tell that there was a small smile on her face.

"You know, I couldn't help but think about what you said, Yuhiro." Herald said, causing both humans to turn to him. "If it helps, I can do some research on comas. Who knows, I might find something useful."

The next thing Herald knew, Roxy patted his head, causing him to roll his eyes. "You do know I'm not the pet in this household, right?"

"Yeah. I know." Roxy said, giving him a small smile. "But the fact that you're willing to do this for us. It means a lot, just saying."

Before Herald could say anything else, Yuhiro's watch started beeping. "I guess that's the signal for school then, Yuhiro?" Herald asked, turning to him.

"And another ordinary school day begins." Yuhiro commented, as he got up from his seat and grabbed the dog collar and leash from the shelve. "Come on, Progleo. It's time." Progleo moaned as he walked over to Yuhiro, letting him put the collar on. As a result, the cub turned into a husky.

"I'll see you this afternoon, Roxy." Yuhiro said, as he grabbed his Duel Disk and headed out downstairs to the front door.

"Okay!" Roxy called out. As she got up and picked up the dirty dishes for cleaning, she muttered to herself, "I've gone eight years without a response from Miyu. And I miss out on it by a few minutes." She then smirked to herself. Yuhiro has no idea of an impact he has on her, does he, she thought. Oh, boy. Roxy was going to enjoy teasing him later.

On the way to Den Academy...

"I want your opinion on something. Do you think that solar eclipse we saw in LINK VRAINS meant anything?" Herald asked Yuhiro as he moved his eye to face him.

"Possibly." Yuhiro replied. "And there's three reasons why I believe so. One: Solar eclipses never happen in LINK VRAINS, unless it was part of an event that SOL was advertising. Two: If the Hanoi was behind the solar eclipse, the monitor in the backroom would have detected it. You would have as well, Herald. And three: As Playmaker's Ignis Ai said, solar eclipses foretold evil omens. I'm not a believer in superstitions, but after everything I've been through, anything can happen."

Before Yuhiro could say anything else, he was pulled by Progleo, who once again had to pee behind a nearby tree. "Must you do your business at that specific tree?"

Progleo, who came behind the tree, walked over to Yuhiro. "I can't help it. It's as though I made it into my happy place. And whenever I go there, I feel much better. How come?" He scratched the back of his ears.

"Well, Progleo." Herald explained. "Now that you're a dog, you tend to mark your territory whenever you go to pee. As a result, it becomes your 'happy place'."

"Speaking of which," Yuhiro said, as he bent down to the cub, "when we get back, I'm potty training you so that you don't pee at that tree anymore. Understand?"

Progleo nodded, and with that, Yuhiro resumed his walk. "With that subject out of the way, I need to ask you something, Herald."

"What is it?" Herald asked.

"Can you send a message to Playmaker's Ignis?" Yuhiro asked him.

Herald's eye widened in surprise to Yuhiro's question. "I can do that, but are you sure? I mean, shouldn't we be more covert in this?"

"While it's a good idea to be covert, I'm sure." Yuhiro replied. "In the databank, I told Playmaker that I would fight the Hanoi with everything I got. For now, I think a temporary alliance would be a good idea, wouldn't you agree?"

"True." Herald agreed with him. He then sighed. "All right. I can send a message to the Dark Ignis in our language. One that humans won't be able to understand."

"Okay, now that's covert." Yuhiro stated. He then noticed the Den Academy building. "Can you make it a quick message? I'm about to enter the school."

"Hang on. And done! Message sent!" Herald declared. "Now all we do is wait."

"Guess so." Yuhiro knelt down to Progleo before looking left and right to make sure no one was watching him. "Okay, Progleo. Back to the Duel Disk." Progleo's ears went down as he whimpered. "It's only for a few hours. Please?" Progleo complied by turning into particles and entering Yuhiro's Duel Disk. With that out of the way, Yuhiro headed into the building.

What Yuhiro didn't know was that Yusaku was behind him, paying close attention to what was going on. Just then, his Duel Disk beeped.

"Hey!" Yusaku said to Ai. "You have to keep it down!"

"Sorry!" Ai said. "But I got a message from the White Ignis!"

Yusaku's eyes widened in surprise as he checked his Duel Disk. Sure enough, there was a message, but he couldn't read it. "Why can't I read it?"

"Because the message was written in the language of the Ignis." Ai answered, coming out of Yusaku's Duel Disk. "It says: Please meet me after school at 3:20 pm near the school entrance. Should we RSVP?"

"We should." Yusaku instantly replied. "If Furutani wants to meet in the real world and not in LINK VRAINS, it would be rude not to accept."

At the end of the school day...

Yuhiro was near the school entrance, waiting for Yusaku to show up. He checked his watch, which read 3:20 pm. When he turned his head to the entrance, he saw several students still exiting from the entrance. Among them was Yusaku, only he was with Naoki, talking about something.

"And the scary thing is," Naoki explained, "you don't even know if your Duel Disk is cursed until is too late." His face turned spooky as he continued explaining. "And it strikes at the stroke of midnight. It's gangly ghoulish arms creep out of the Duel Disk and snatch the owners soul. The story goes that the victim is dragged into LINK VRAINS, never to be seen again. All that's left is an empty shell, still alive but lifeless."

"I see." Yusaku responded to Naoki. "I need to speak with someone now, actually. Or else I'll be late."

"Oh. Didn't realize I was keeping you from something, Fujiki." Naoki said. Before he left, he added, "And remember-."

"Keep an eye on your Duel Disk." Yusaku finished for Naoki, a bored expression clearly shown on his face. Satisfied with Yusaku's answer, Naoki continued walking away from the building.

With Naoki off his back, Yusaku headed to where Yuhiro was. "I take it you wanted to speak to me?"

Yuhiro stood up and smiled. "That's correct, Fujiki." His smile turned into a frown. "But let's be honest here. I asked to meet with you because of three things we have in common. One," Yuhiro held up one finger, "we both have a common enemy: The Knights of Hanoi. It's only logical to team up as long as they're active. Two," Yuhiro held up another finger, "we both already figured out each other's identities. In doing so, I know who you are both in LINK VRAINS and in real life, and vice versa. Three," Yuhiro held up a third finger, "if there's one important thing we have in common, it's that the both of us have an Ignis. Allow me to introduce you to my buddy, Herald."

As if on cue, Herald emerged on Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "Ah, finally. It's good to talk to you once again, Ai. And you must be Playmaker. A pleasure to meet you as well."

"The same goes for you." Yusaku said. He then looked at Yuhiro. "I never thought that someone else from the Lost Incident would be attending the same school as me."

"Me neither." Yuhiro replied. He then looked left and right to make sure no one was watching them. "Follow me." Yuhiro then started walking on the sidewalk, with Yusaku following him.

"Wait. Where are we going?" Ai asked him, now curious.

"It's a covert tactic." Herald told him. "Yuhiro is trying to make it look like two people are walking and talking to each other. As though they're walking to their homes together."

"Ohhhhhh. That's make sense." Ai said as he put a hand to his chin.

"Have you heard of what's been going around in the school?" Yusaku asked Yuhiro.

"Partly." Yuhiro admitted. "Although I heard a bit more during your conversation with Shima. Care to clarify?"

"Shima believes that people are turned into Anothers."

"Anothers?"

"According to Shima, people become Anothers once their souls are dragged into LINK VRAINS." Yusaku clarified. "While Shima's usually a liar or an idiot, with the sudden drop of people in school, I think for once he's telling the truth."

"You think the Hanoi are behind this, aren't you?" Yuhiro asked Yusaku, who nodded in response.

"There are three reasons why the Hanoi are behind these Another attacks." Yusaku said, turning to Yuhiro. "One: All the victims use card-insert Duel Disks. And since Playmaker and Raguel use card-insert Duel Disks, they're searching for everyone with said Duel Disk in order to lure them out. Two: The duelists who use card-insert Duel Disks are elite level, meaning that they're exceptional in dueling. Three: They're all hackers."

"Hackers? Interesting." Yuhiro muttered, thinking about Yusaku's three reasons as to why the Hanoi were behind the Another attacks. With those reasons, Yuhiro thought, they're hoping to draw us out and acquire our Ignis's. He then gained an idea. "Do you plan on logging into LINK VRAINS at all today?"

Yusaku thought about it for a minute before responding. "Maybe. But only once I'm certain of the information that's going around. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if the Hanoi are doing this to draw us out," Yuhiro explained, "perhaps it would be a good idea if the both of us are in LINK VRAINS. That way, with the both of us out in the open, we can draw out those in charge of the Hanoi. Like Infearno."

"Or Revolver." Yusaku muttered as he thought about both Infearno and Revolver. If this plan worked and they were both drawn out into the open, it would give them a chance to settle things once and for all. "All right. Let's give it a shot. I'll have Ai contact Herald if we uncover anything."

"Okay." Yuhiro said. He then offered a hand to Yusaku. "Gotta say, while it's only temporary, I look forward to working with you, Fujiki."

Yusaku, after looking at Yuhiro's hand for a brief moment, shook it. "Same here, Furutani."

A few minutes later, at Café Matsuo...

Yuhiro walked into Café Matsuo and immediately headed straight into the back. With the steward bot at the counter, it meant that Roxy was at the backroom.

"Hey Yuhiro." Roxy said, as Yuhiro walked in and sat in his respective chair. "I've been doing some research, and I found some things about the Another victims."

"There's no need, Roxy." Yuhiro said, turning to face her. "I've already talked to Playmaker, or Fujiki as I know him in real life, today at school. He provided me with the details on the Another victims, as well as who's behind them."

For the second time today, Roxy's jaw dropped. "Hang on. So you actually talked to Fujiki at school today? On the way back home?" When Yuhiro nodded, Roxy was so happy that she grabbed him, put him in a headlock, and nuggied him. "I'm so proud of you, Yuhiro! You're actually talking to someone at school, even though it's someone you'll have to eventually duel. Who knows? After this whole mess is over, you'll start making friends."

"I'm glad you're happy, Roxy," Yuhiro said, "but please let me go." After Roxy let him go and he sat back on his chair, he continued talking. "Fujiki told me that the Another victims had three things in common. One: They all use card-insert Duel Disks. Two: They're all elite duelists. Three: They're all hackers."

"It makes sense when you think about it," Herald said, appearing out of Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "Since Playmaker and Raguel fulfil all the criteria, it would only make sense for the Hanoi to target only a sample of duelists that are in LINK VRAINS, which are-."

"Duelists that use card-insert Duel Disks." Roxy finished for Herald. "The Hanoi aren't pulling any stops this time around." Suddenly, one of their monitors started flashing red. "Aw hell no, not again."

"What is it?" Yuhiro asked. When Roxy opened up a new window, his eyes widened. "It's the Hanoi!"

"Unfortunately." Roxy confirmed as she started typing. "They've been appearing everywhere in LINK VRAINS since this morning. Any duelists they ran into have been turned into Anothers." Her face then arranged into one of disgust. "We have to stop them before they cause any more damage!"

"I know." Yuhiro got up and headed for the closed-off space. "The Knights of Hanoi want to play dirty, huh? I'll make sure they don't harm the network again!" With determination, he put his deck in his Duel Disk and said, "Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!"

In LINK VRAINS...

Raguel landed on the ground and saw several people running from the damage the Knights of Hanoi was unleashing onto the network. Great. Not only were the Hanoi turning people into Anothers, but they were also causing damage to the network as well.

"Cracking Dragon, attack! Traffic blast!"

BOOM!

Raguel turned his head at the sound of the explosion, seeing a Knight of Hanoi defeat a duelist and turn them into an Another. Soon, other explosions went off, meaning that the Knights were nearby.

I can't let them do any more damage to the network, Raguel thought as he ran forward to the danger and looked around for anyone who could be in trouble. He soon found two young duelists being roped into a duel by three Knights of Hanoi. One of them had a red pauldron on his right shoulder, which indicated that he was the leader of the pack. As a result, Raguel hid in a nearby alleyway, trying to figure out what to do. He could force their leader into a duel, but the rest would try and aid him in the process. Looks like I got to eliminate him, Raguel thought, as he prepped his Cracker gauntlet.

"This chase was fun, but you're finished!" the Knight of Hanoi with the red pauldron on his right shoulder said. Before Raguel could go forward with his plan, a green cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere and landed on the ground in front of the young duelists, as if it was defending them.

When the smoke settled, it revealed a man wearing a green-velvet jumpsuit with golden armor on his body, as well as high heeled golden boots and golden gauntlets. He also wore a magenta cape on his back, as well as a green magician's cap covering the top side of his face, except his eyes.

"Go!" the man said to the two young duelists, urging them to leave. As they started running from the confrontation, the man turned to the Knights and said, "You don't want any part of this." He then stepped forward and fired green, mystical energy from his hands at the Knights, hitting two of them and forcefully logging them out. As a result, only the Knight of Hanoi with the red pauldron was left standing.

"Just... what are you?" the Knight of Hanoi with the red pauldron demanded, startled at seeing his comrades get destroyed like that.

"I am Stregone, the #3 Charisma Duelist in LINK VRAINS!" the man answered. "And I won't let people like you harm the innocent. Not on my watch!"

Raguel smiled upon seeing Stregone. This Knight of Hanoi is so in for it now, he thought.

"Is that so?" the Knight growled as he activated his Duel Disk. "Fine. I'll take you on. But know this: Unlike those Knights you blasted earlier, we have proved our loyalty to our leader, and as a result, he has given us command over our own squads. So technically, you can call me a Sergeant of Hanoi!"

"A sergeant? Like a pet sergeant?" Stregone deduced as he activated his Duel Disk, which revealed a green blade with a blue outline.

"That's- wait, how dare you!" the Sergeant exclaimed as he gritted his teeth. "With this deck only the Sergeants of Hanoi can wield, I'll make you eat those words!"

"Bring it on!" Stregone countered.

"Duel!" both duelists declared.

Stregone: 4000 LP

Sergeant of Hanoi: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn." the Sergeant said, waving his hand in front of him to see his cards. Excellent, he thought. This Charisma Duelist won't stop me with these cards. "I activate the Field Spell card, Kozmotown! Then I summon Kozmo Soartroopers from my hand!" A bamboo in black trooper armor carrying a blaster appeared on the Sergeant's field. It's wings were also metallic.

Kozmo Soartroopers ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL: 3

"Soartroopers effect! I can banish this card to Special Summon one Level 4 or higher 'Kozmo' monster from my hand! I banish Soartroopers to Special Summon Kozmo Dark Destroyer from my hand!" Soartroopers vanished into particles, which created a portal above the Sergeant's head. Soon, a black spaceship with a chrome armoured paint job, as well as acute shaped wings, emerged from the portal and hovered above the Sergeant.

Kozmo Dark Destroyer ATK: 3000 DEF: 1800 LVL: 8

"Next, I equip my new Machine monster with the Union Monster, Heavy Mech Support Platform!" the Sergeant declared. "Now my monster gains 500 attack and defense points. Also, if it were to be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can simply destroy my equip card instead!" As the Sergeant said this, a ship with red thin wings that was smaller than Dark Destroyer appeared on the field and flew up to the middle of the bigger ship. Heavy Mech Support Platform then docked onto Dark Destroyer and attached itself using its red underbelly cord.

Kozmo Dark Destroyer ATK: 3000 + 500 = 3500 DEF: 1800 + 500 = 2300

"I'll end my turn by Setting a face-down card," the Sergeant concluded. "Now lets see what you can do!"

In another area of LINK VRAINS...

Dancho and Revolver looked out over the chaos as the Knights and Sergeants forced people into duels.

"These boorish individuals know nothing of our core beliefs." Revolver said. "They're tarnishing the name of the Knights of Hanoi, and these behaviors of theirs are unacceptable."

"Scum they most certainly are." Dancho added. "The Knights of Hanoi were formed with the purpose of saving the world, by any means necessary. These punks," Dancho seethed that last word out, "know nothing about what we're really after."

"Most true." Revolver and Dancho turned and saw two people, a male and a female, materialize in front of them. The man had dark and light blue hair with a white lab coat with black lines, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over his left eye. The woman had red and orange hair with a sleeveless white lab coat with pink eyes, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over her left eye. Their names were Faust and Baira, and they were two of Revolver's lieutenants. "So it is up to us to complete our mission."

"I agree, Faust." Revolver said as he and Dancho walked over to them.

"I swear to you that we will find Playmaker, as well as his Ignis." Faust promised Revolver.

"Not just find them, but we shall erase them from existence, Revolver." Baira added.

"Dr. Genome is already making his move as we speak." Faust said.

"And we provided him with a special weapon for the task." Baira said.

"It seems that everything is going according to plan then," Dancho said, looking at Faust and Baira. "The two of you should be proud of yourselves." His expression then changed into a frown as he turned to Revolver. "If Raguel were to show up though and try to intervene, though..."

"Then it's only fair that we eliminate him before he becomes more dangerous." Revolver concluded as he turned his head to look at the carnage around LINK VRAINS. "We can't risk having him and Playmaker forming an alliance against us. Their combined strength would most certainly be an obstacle to overcome."

"Both Dancho and Infearno came close to defeating Raguel in their respective duels," Faust said, placing a hand on Revolver's shoulder. "I assure you, Revolver. Raguel will be dealt with."

"If I do cross paths with Raguel again, I won't let him interfere with our goal!" Dancho also promised as well.

Revolver took a deep breath before responding. "I know. Your loyalty matters greatly. Thank you." He then turned to face Faust and Baira. "Where's Infearno? Shouldn't he be here?"

"He's back in headquarters, checking the status of the Anothers. As well as keeping an eye on the monitors." Baira answered him. "Or at least that's what he told me before he left."

In the Hanoi Stronghold...

Infearno was watching the monitor, seeing the carnage the Knights of Hanoi were bringing onto LINK VRAINS. While Revolver and the others disapproved of recruiting in thugs for the Hanoi's army, he was the only one who approved of the idea. Or at least, he thought he was.

"Hello, Infearno."

Infearno turned around and saw Specter materialize in front of him. In Specter's right hand was a coffee cup.

"What are you doing here, Specter?" Infearno asked as Specter walked to him. When he looked at what Specter was holding, he raised an eyebrow. "And why are you carrying a coffee cup?"

"It's because I asked our Secretary for one." Specter answered as he took a sip from it. "And I must say, he most certainly makes good coffee. Especially when you can taste it even in the network."

"You didn't answer my question." Infearno said, crossing his arms. "What are you doing here?"

Specter sighed. "If you must know, I recently completed a mission for Master Revolver."

"Which was?"

"A routine sweep of LINK VRAINS." Specter answered as he took another sip from his coffee. "Master Revolver wanted me to see if a certain individual would show up due to our attack."

"Are you talking about Playmaker? Or Raguel?" Infearno asked, narrowing his eyes. Ever since his duel against Raguel, Infearno was filled with anger. Anger at himself for not finishing off Raguel when he had the chance. And anger for the humiliating defeat he suffered at Raguel's hands.

However, if Infearno knew one thing about anger, it was this: He could let it destroy him, or he could mold it into a weapon. With patience and the right opportunity, Infearno will defeat Raguel. Only this time, he won't make the same mistake twice.

"It's none of your concern." Specter replied, taking a third sip from his coffee. "I'm curious about something though. What are you doing here?"

Infearno motioned to the monitor behind him. "I was simply observing the chaos the new recruits were unleashing onto LINK VRAINS."

"I see." Specter said as he looked at the monitor. A notification soon popped up on the monitor. "What's that?"

"It's a notification that pops up whenever one of our Sergeants has to duel. The Sergeants are given charge over small squads of Knights, and provide us with reports." Infearno replied. He clicked on the notification, which showed a Sergeant of Hanoi dueling someone called Stregone. Based on what Infearno knew, Stregone was the #3 Charisma Duelist in all of LINK VRAINS. And if Stregone was confident to take on a Sergeant of Hanoi, then this would be interesting. "Whether this Sergeant wins or loses, it benefits us in the end."

"How so?" Specter asked.

"Because we'll know this duelist's dueling strategies." Infearno replied, putting a hand on his chin. "And whether or not he'll be an enemy to the Hanoi."

Back at the duel on the monitor, Stregone smirked. "You think summoning a massive spaceship is going to stop me? I'll break down your strategy before you can make a comeback!"

"What did you say?" the Sergeant growled, now offended at Stregone's statement.

"My turn! I draw!" Stregone declared. "I activate the Spell card, Terraforming, which lets me add a Field Spell card from my deck to my hand!" Using Terraforming, Stregone added Magical City of Endymion from his deck to his hand. "Next, I activate the Field Spell card, Magical City of Endymion!" As Stregone said this, a pink circle consisting of hieroglyphics surrounded both him and the Sergeant before disappearing.

"Now it's time to show you something spectacular!" Stregone said as he selected two cards in his hand. "With the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

The Sergeant's eyes widened in shock. "Pendulum?!" he repeated.

On either side of Stregone's field, two pillars of light appeared. In the pillar of light on his right was a magician with brown hair and dark robes. There were gold-like elements on each of his upper arms, with chrome plating on the lower section of his arms. On his right arm was a disk that fired out a gold, clock-like blade. Timegazer also wore a black magician's cap with a gold-like element on it, as well as metallic plating on his left leg.

In the pillar of light on the left was a magician with long blond hair and white robes with a purple cape. On the magician's chest was black-plating, with four small orbs on either side and a big orb at the center. Like Timegazer, Stargazer also wore a magician's cap, only white. In his left hand, he carried a double-bladed staff, with a massive white circle at the center.

Stargazer Magician Scale: 1

Timegazer Magician Scale: 8

"This is... impossible!" the Sergeant said, his eyes wide. Although Pendulum monsters were popular before, the change in the Master Rules, the introduction of Link Monsters, and relocation of the Pendulum Zones hit them hard. As a result, it was very rare for someone to be using Pendulum monsters.

"Surprised? Wait until you see what I got next!" Stregone said. "I activate the Spell card, Pendulum Pot!" The card showed a smiling pot that was colored red on the left and blue on the right. "When this card is activated, I can draw cards from my deck equal to the number of cards in my Pendulum zones. Since I have two cards in my Pendulum zones, I can draw two cards!" After explaining, he drew the top two cards of his deck.

"The effect of Magical City of Endymion activates! Each time a Spell card is activated, I can place a Spell counter on this card when it resolves!" A blue orb went into the Field Spell, giving it a brief, blue glow before disappearing.

Magical City of Endymion SC: 0 + 1 = 1

"Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory!" Stregone chanted. "With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 2 and 7 at the same time! Emerge, Frequency Magician, Mythical Beast Jackal and Crusader of Endymion!" Soon, a portal opened between the two pillars, out of which three lights appeared. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing three monsters.

The first was a small magician with a light violet cape, a chrome cap on his head and a small black mask covering his eyes. The magician also wore an amice with a chasuble as well. In each of the magician's hands were custom made repulsors.

The second was a blue, four legged creature with dark blue armor on its back. The creature had green eyes, and its head and tail was in a wispy shape. Its legs also had wispy protrusions on its sides.

The third was a dark blue-armored warrior with a Spell-counter circle in the middle of his body. His arms and legs were magically attached to massive blue armor on each side. He also wore a blue helmet with gold outlines as well.

Frequency Magician ATK: 800 DEF: 400 LVL: 2

Mythical Beast Jackal ATK: 0 DEF: 1400 Scale: 4 LVL: 1

Crusader of Endymion ATK: 1900 DEF: 1200 LVL: 4

"Level 2 Frequency Magician tunes Level 1 Mythical Beast Jackal and Level 4 Crusader of Endymion!" Stregone declared, as he pointed his right hand to the sky. A bolt of green lightning struck him as the world greyed out and his three monsters disintegrated into particles. Three rings, one yellow, one black and one dark blue appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "2 + 1 + 4" in front of them. The screen changed to "7" as light surged through the rings.

"The master of magicians awakens!" Stregone chanted. "Show yourself, magician of light and magic! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Arcanite Magician!" A magician wearing white robes with purple lines emerged from the light and was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone. The magician wore a massive white cap with purple lines and pointed spikes on the sides. His orange eyes glared at the Sergeant as he twirled his staff, ready for battle.

Arcanite Magician ATK: 400 DEF: 1800 LVL: 7

"What a joke!" the Sergeant stated. "That monster is NOTHING compared to mine!"

"Normally, you would be right." Stregone admitted. "But raw power is not always the answer! I activate Arcanite Magician's effect! When it's Synchro Summoned, I can place two Spell counters on this card! For every Spell counter on Arcanite Magician, it gains 1000 attack points!" Two blue orbs orbited around Arcanite Magician's staff as he powered up.

Arcanite Magician SC: 0 + 2 = 2

Arcanite Magician ATK: 400 + 2000 = 2400

"Even with that boost, you'll never be able to destroy my Dark Destroyer!" the Sergeant boldly declared.

"True," Stregone said, "but who said I was finished? I activate Arcanite Magician's other effect! By removing a Spell counter from anywhere on my field, I can target 1 card you control and destroy it! I remove a Spell counter from Magical City of Endymion to destroy your face-down card!" The Sergeant grit his teeth as a blue orb from Magical City of Endymion went into Arcanite Magician's staff, powering it up before being used by Arcanite Magician to fire a blast of magical energy at the face-down card, turning it into particles.

Magical City of Endymion SC: 1 – 1 = 0

Stregone checked the field using his Duel Disk and clicked on Kozmo Dark Destroyer. As he read the effect, he scowled. I can't target his monster with Arcanite Magician, he thought. Looks like I'll have to go to Plan B.

"I activate the Spell card, Cup of Ace! I flip a coin, and depending on the result, one of us gets to draw two cards!" A golden chalice soon appeared on the field, along with a golden coin.

"You're relying on luck to win?" the Sergeant asked.

"It's not just luck." Stregone replied, with a smile on his face. "Rather, I simply added an element that will make this duel even more exciting!" Thrusting out his hand, he said, "I flip the coin!" The golden coin flipped in the air, and it landed on heads. Upon seeing the result, Stregone smiled. "Since the coin landed on heads, I get to draw two cards from the top of my deck!" He drew the top two cards of his deck and looked at them. This should help against that Sergeant, he thought.

"Magical City of Endymion's effect activates once again!"

Magical City of Endymion SC: 0 + 1 = 1

"I end my turn by Setting two cards face-down." Stregone concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" the Sergeant declared. "I activate the effect of my Field Spell, Kozmotown! Once per turn, I can target 1 of my banished 'Kozmo' monsters and add it to my hand. But in exchange, I lose life points equal to its original level times 100. I return the banished Kozmo Soartroopers to my hand, and take 300 points of damage!" As the Sergeant returned Soartroopers to his hand, his shoulder fizzled temporarily.

Sergeant of Hanoi: 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP

"Once again, I summon Kozmo Soartroopers from my hand!" The bamboo in black trooper armor with metallic wings, as well as carrying a blaster appeared once again on the Sergeant's field.

Kozmo Soartroopers ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL: 3

"Soartroopers effect!" the Sergeant continued. "I can banish this card to Special Summon one Level 4 or higher 'Kozmo' monster from my hand! I banish Soartroopers to Special Summon a second Kozmo Dark Destroyer from my hand!" Soartroopers vanished into particles, which created a portal above the Sergeant's head. Soon, a second Dark Destroyer emerged from the portal and hovered above the Sergeant beside the other Dark Destroyer.

Kozmo Dark Destroyer ATK: 3000 DEF: 1800 LVL: 8

"What was it you said earlier? That raw power wasn't always the answer?" the Sergeant pondered. "In this case, it is!" Thrusting his right hand out, he said, "Battle! My second Kozmo Dark Destroyer attacks Arcanite Magician!" The laser cannons on each of Dark Destroyer's wings charged up before firing at Arcanite Magician. However...

"You fell for my Trap card, Mirror Force!" Stregone interrupted. "When it's activated, it destroys all monsters you control!" The laser blasts went right into Mirror Force, before being fired back at greater intensity at both Dark Destroyers. Upon impact, the laser blasts went through both spaceships, crippling and turning them both into particles. Or so Stregone thought.

"I activate the effect of Heavy Mech Support Platform!" the Sergeant said. "If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can destroy this card instead!" Heavy Mech Support Platform vanished into red particles that protected the first Dark Destroyer from destruction. However, the second one wasn't so lucky, as it turned into particles.

Kozmo Dark Destroyer ATK: 3500 – 500 = 3000 DEF: 2300 – 500 = 1800

"Next, I activate the effect of the Dark Destroyer you destroyed! Since it was destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish this card from my Graveyard and Special Summon one Level 7 or lower 'Kozmo' monster from my deck! I banish Dark Destroyer to Special Summon Kozmo Landwalker from my deck!" A large, mechanical brown four-legged walker in the shape of a spider soon emerged on the Sergeant's field.

Kozmo Landwalker ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 LVL: 6

"The battle still continues! My first Kozmo Dark Destroyer attacks Arcanite Magician! And this time, it will be destroyed!" The laser cannons on each of Dark Destroyer's wings charged up before firing at Arcanite Magician, destroying the magician and turning him into particles. Stregone raised his right arm to shield his eyes as his life points dropped.

Stregone: 4000 – 600 = 3400 LP

"I activate the second effect of Magical City of Endymion!" Stregone interjected. "When a card with a Spell counter is destroyed, all the Spell counters it had are now placed onto this card!" As he said this, the two orbs from Arcanite Magician went into the Field Spell, giving it a brief, blue glow before disappearing.

Magical City of Endymion SC: 1 + 2 = 3

"Kozmo Landwalker attacks you directly!" Landwalker fired two laser blasts from the guns on either side of its head, which hit Stregone, causing him to be sent flying backwards. Luckily, he was able to land back on his feet just in time.

Stregone: 3400 – 2400 = 1000 LP

"That ends my turn." The Sergeant smirked at Stregone. "No matter what card you draw, you won't defeat me!"

"That's what makes the duel more interesting, though." Stregone said, as he put a hand on the top card of his deck, ready to make his move. "You ultimately won't know who wins the duel until every card has been played. And until that happens, the show must go on!"

"If you think the next card will help you win this turn, then prove it!" the Sergeant dared him.

"Oh, I will." Stregone replied. "My turn! I draw! He drew the top card of his deck and looked at it. Upon doing so, he smiled. "This card will defeat you. I first activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn! I target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard and Special Summon it back to my field! The monster I choose is Arcanite Magician!" The white-robed magician with purple lines returned to Stregone's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Arcanite Magician ATK: 400 DEF: 1800 LVL: 7

"Magical City of Endymion's effect!"

Magical City of Endymion SC: 3 + 1 = 4

"I activate the effect of Pendulum Pot from my Graveyard! By banishing this card, I can draw cards from my deck equal to the number of cards in my Pendulum zones. Since I have two cards in my Pendulum zones, I can draw two cards!" After explaining, he drew the top two cards of his deck.

"Magical City of Endymion's effect!"

Magical City of Endymion SC: 4 + 1 = 5

Stregone raised his right arm into the sky and chanted, "Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 2 and 7 at the same time!" A portal opened between the two pillars, out of which one light appeared. The light hit the field and then dissipated, revealing one monster.

"Great king governing the magical power of genesis! Release the power sleeping within the magical city! Arise, Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic!" A tall magician with black robes that had golden outlines appeared on Stregone's field. Attached to his back was a massive, golden ring, and there were a total of 20 purple Spell counters visible on the magician. Endymion had long white horse-like hair and a golden mask with black horns on top. In his right hand was a golden staff, with a massive golden hook.

Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic ATK: 2800 DEF: 1700 Scale: 8 LVL: 7

"You Pendulum Summoned a monster with almost 3000 attack points?!" the Sergeant exclaimed.

"I activate my face-down Trap card, Assault Mode Activate!" Stregone said. "When this card is activated, I can tribute a Synchro Monster I control to Special Summon an '/Assault Mode' monster whose name includes the tributed monster's name from my deck in attack position!"

"Did you say Assault Mode?" the Sergeant repeated, his eyes widening in horror.

Raguel, who was watching the entire duel, couldn't help but snicker. You're not just facing any duelist, he thought, as he watched the duel. Rather, you're facing one of the Top 3 Charisma Duelists in all of LINK VRAINS. And this one is finishing you off this turn!

"I tribute my Arcanite Magician!" Stregone said, as a vermillion colored portal appeared above the sky. Arcanite Magician then turned into a stream of white energy and went into it, causing the portal to overflow with energy.

"Go, magician of light and magic!" Stregone chanted. "Unleash the full force of your sorcery and hold nothing back! I Special Summon Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode!" A magician wearing vermillion and purple-colored robes along with a white cape emerged from the portal and landed onto Stregone's field. When the magician stood up, he glared at the Sergeant as he twirled his staff, ready for battle.

Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode ATK: 900 DEF: 2300 LVL: 9

"Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode's effect activates! When it's Special Summoned, I can place two Spell counters on this card! For every Spell counter on Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode, it gains 1000 attack points!" Two blue orbs orbited around Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode's staff as he powered up.

Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode SC: 0 + 2 = 2

Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode: 900 + 2000 = 2900

"Next, I activate Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode's second effect!" Stregone continued. "By removing two Spell counters from this card, all cards on your field will be destroyed!"

"WHAT?!" the Sergeant exclaimed, now shocked at what Stregone was going to do. He then regained his composure. "If you do this, you'll only make your monster weaker!"

"That's why I activate the third effect of Magical City of Endymion!" Stregone said. "Once per turn, if I would activate a card effect by removing Spell counters from a card I control, I can simply remove them from my Field Spell instead!" In hearing this statement, the Sergeant's eyes widened in surprise. "I remove two Spell counters from Magical City of Endymion to activate Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode's effect! Arcane Sorcery!" Two blue orbs from Magical City of Endymion went into Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode's staff, powering it up before being used by Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode to fire a massive blast of magical energy at all of the Sergeant's cards, turning them all into particles.

Magical City of Endymion SC: 5 - 2 = 3

"I activate the effect of Dark Destroyer from my Graveyard!" the Sergeant said. "Since it was destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish this card from my Graveyard and Special Summon one Level 7 or lower 'Kozmo' monster from my deck! I banish Dark Destroyer to Special Summon a second Kozmo Landwalker from my deck!" A second Landwalker soon emerged on the Sergeant's field.

Kozmo Landwalker ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 LVL: 6

"Next, I activate the effect of Landwalker! If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish it from my Graveyard to Special Summon one Level 5 or lower 'Kozmo' monster from my deck! I banish Landwalker to Special Summon Kozmo Delta Shuttle from my deck!" A white-colored shuttle with violet lines and wings in the shape of a V, as well as an under fin, appeared on the Sergeant's field.

Kozmo Delta Shuttle ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LVL: 5

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Mythical Bestiary!" Stregone said, unfazed by the appearance of the Sergeant's new monsters. "I can send the top two cards of my deck to my Graveyard, and if I do, I can target one card on the field that I can place a Spell counter on and place up to two Spell counters on it! I target Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode!" Two blue orbs came out of Mythical Bestiary and orbited around Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode's staff as he powered up further.

Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode SC: 2 + 2 = 4

Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode: 2900 + 2000 = 4900

"A monster with almost 5000 attack points?!" the Sergeant said in shock.

"Correct!" Stregone replied. "And now I activate the effect of Shuffle Reborn from my Graveyard! I target one card I control and shuffle it into my deck. By doing so, I can draw one card from my deck! I shuffle Timegazer Magician into my deck and draw one card!" Timegazer Magician vanished into particles as Stregone shuffled the card back into his deck. He then drew a card from the top of his deck.

"The effect of Magical City of Endymion activates once again!"

Magical City of Endymion SC: 3 + 1 = 4

"I activate one last Spell card, Magical Blast! For every Spellcaster Monster I control, you take 200 points of damage! Since I control two Spellcaster monsters, you take 400 points of damage!" Endymion and Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode joined forces as they fired a blast of magical energy from both their staffs at Sergeant, pushing him back slightly.

Sergeant of Hanoi: 3700 – 400 = 3300 LP

"Magical City of Endymion's effect!"

Magical City of Endymion SC: 4 + 1 = 5

"Battle!" Stregone declared. "Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic attacks Kozmo Delta Shuttle! Magical Overload!" The Spell counters on Endymion glowed as he raised his staff into the air and fired a blast of magical energy at Delta Shuttle, which went through the spaceship and destroyed it, causing an explosion. As a result, the Sergeant had to cover his eyes.

Sergeant of Hanoi: 3300 – 800 = 2500 LP

"This match is over! Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode attacks Kozmo Landwalker! Arcane Magical Burst!" Arcanite Magician/Assault spun his staff in front of him, creating a magical circle. He then fired a blast of magical energy into the circle, which, once it left the circle, magnified in size. The newly magnified blast then went through Landwalker's head and through the walker's body, destroying it once and for all. The explosion that soon followed sent the Sergeant flying backwards, turning into black data as he did so.

Sergeant of Hanoi: 2500 – 2500 = 0

Soon, people who were witnessing the duel came out of the alleyways and began clapping and cheering for him. Even Raguel couldn't help but step out of the alleyway and clap for him.

"Why are we clapping and cheering for this duelist?" Herald asked as Raguel continued clapping.

"I'll tell you later," was all Raguel told Herald, causing him to sigh in confusion.

Stregone gave the crowd a salute as they continued to cheer and clap for him.

"You saw that duel? Right, Roxy?" Raguel asked her.

"Loud and clear." Roxy confirmed, as she looked at the monitors. "Whenever Stregone duels, it's a wild ride!"

"That we can both agree on." Raguel replied, smiling. Suddenly, the winds around him began picking up. "Roxy, what's going on?"

"Hang on!" she said, typing on the keyboard. Her eyes widened in fear upon looking at the monitors. "Yuhiro, you've got to log out now!"

"Why? What's-?" When he looked up, he gasped. The area he was in was surrounded by a transparent dome. Thin purple tornados emerged from holes in the dome and connected to the ground, which generated high-speed winds.

"The hell is this?" Raguel wondered, his eyes wide.

Meanwhile, in the Hanoi Stronghold, Infearno and Specter were watching the events occurring in LINK VRAINS on two monitors. The monitor on the left showed the launch of the Hanoi's latest weapon: the Data Gale. Whereas the monitor on the right showed the recording of the duel between Stregone and the Sergeant of Hanoi.

"Mirror Force..." Infearno muttered.

"And Assault Mode Activate..." Specter also said. He turned to face Infearno. "Both cards are very deadly weapons, and they can most certainly turn the tide of a duel."

"Mirror Force is a more powerful weapon than Assault Mode Activate." Infearno said, crossing his arms as the recording showed Stregone using Mirror Force. "That's because Link Monsters can only exist in attack position. And since Playmaker and Raguel primarily use Link Monsters, that one card can wipe them all out upon activation."

"That is a good point." Specter replied, as he looked at the recording, which showed Stregone Special Summoning Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode through Assault Mode Activate. "The only way for us to use Assault Mode Activate, as well as Assault/Mode monsters, would be to include Synchro Monsters in our decks. And currently, out of all of us, the only ones who could use Assault Mode Activate and Assault/Mode monsters..."

"Are myself and the Secretary." Infearno finished for him. He turned to Specter. "Contact Revolver. Tell him I have some interesting information for him. Information that can help him defeat Playmaker."

"Most certainly." Specter materialized out of the Hanoi Stronghold after saying that.

As Infearno turned back to the monitors, he narrowed his eyes. Stregone, you are quite an interesting duelist, he thought. He then smirked. You unknowingly brought us a gift. One that will be used to end Playmaker and Raguel once and for all!

Card Gallery

Pendulum Pot (Normal Spell Card)

Effect: Draw cards from your deck equal to the number of cards in your Pendulum Zones. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card; draw cards from your deck equal to the number of cards in your Pendulum Zones. You can only use 1 'Pendulum Pot' effect per turn, and only once that turn.

QOTC

What archetypes would you like to see in this story?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 13: Hanoi Inbound. The emergence of a Data Gale managed to diminish any hope that Stregone brought to LINK VRAINS. Raguel teams up with Stregone to investigate this new phenomenon, only to run into Go Onizuka, who is dueling the Hanoi lieutenant known as Dr. Genome. Upon seeing Raguel, Dr. Genome commands a squadron of Knights of Hanoi to block their path. Just when they're outnumbered though...

Responses to Reviews and Author Notes

Thank you to savagemaster1999, Jason, HunterHQ, Noobmaster, Unknown, Lightning, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 11 of Obscured Truth.

Alright, this chapter is finally done, and the Another Arc has officially begun! I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Before we go to the reviews, we'll talk about what happened this chapter.

One of the main things that happens in this chapter is Yuhiro and Yusaku officially meeting up in the real world after learning each other's identities in LINK VRAINS. Due to the Hanoi attacking people in LINK VRAINS and turning them into 'Anothers', Yuhiro forms a temporary alliance with Yusaku until the mess is cleared up with.

The second thing that happens in this chapter is the first appearance of an OC of mine I wanted to introduce for a while now: Stregone. For his LINK VRAINS appearance, I drew inspiration from none other than Mysterio from Spider Man: Far from Home. When making this OC, I basically asked myself: What if Mysterio really was a good guy throughout the movie? What would his personality be like? And that's how Stregone was born.

For his deck, he uses an Endymion/Mythical Beast deck, which focuses on utilizing Spell Counters to provide benefits for the duelist. As shown in this chapter, Stregone also incorporates Pendulum and Synchro Summoning, as well as an Assault/Mode monster. The emergence of Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode means that I plan to introduce more Assault Mode monsters in the future. Which ones, I can't say, so stay tuned.

For Stregone's opponent, I introduced something called a Sergeant of Hanoi. What is that exactly? It's basically a Knight of Hanoi who's proven his loyalty to the Hanoi, and as a result, they get promoted to Sergeant. Upon being promoted, they report to the higher ups of the Knights of Hanoi directly, obtain command over a small squad of Knights of Hanoi, and are given more powerful decks to use in the event of a duel. I chose the Kozmo deck because most of the members are DARK Machines, and it fits with the Hanoi grunts using raw firepower as their main strategy.

The last main thing that happens in this chapter is the discussion between Infearno and Specter, where they bring up a mysterious 'Secretary' several times. Who this secretary is, you'll have to keep on reading to find out.

And now it's time for the reviews.

Savagemaster1999: If you look closely in Chapter 11, you can see SengokuQueen discard the Six Samurai Yaichi for one of her card's effects. She also summons The Six Samurai – Zanji to her field twice. Also, I do plan on having her use more, original Six Samurai monsters, spells and trap cards.

Jason: I encourage you to keep on reading, Jason. You'll find this story very intriguing as it goes on.

HunterHQ: SengokuQueen isn't aware of the corruption in SOL Technologies just yet. Also, I do plan on her using Great Shogun Shien in a future duel during the Another Arc. I encourage you to keep on reading to find out when.

Noobmaster: I'm glad that you're excited for what's to come. You'll be surprised, that's for sure.

Unknown: I have a plan for SengokuQueen not just in Season 1, but for Season 2 as well.

Lightning: Thanks very much. And good to hear from you again as well. For more incredible chapters to come, I encourage you to keep on reading.

Guest: Good point you raise up. I have a plan for SengokuQueen, which will be shown throughout Seasons 1 and 2. If you're curious as to what that plan is, keep on reading.

As always, let me know your thoughts about this chapter, as well as any questions, comments, or opinions you may have. If you know anyone who may like this story, then I encourage you to let them know about it as well. I accept any constructive criticism you have, as it helps to improve the story for the future. See you next time!